The House Natural Resources Committee voted on July 15 to extend a federal moratorium on new right whale protections until 2035, handing the lobster and crab industries a significant victory while environmental groups warn the delay could doom the species. There are only about 380 North Atlantic right whales left.
The Republican-controlled Congress appears poised to pass the measure as soon as this summer, with President Donald Trump's administration backing the legislation introduced by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York. The federal government had already paused any new right whale rules until 2028. The extension would push regulatory action nearly a decade into the future.
Industry Pushback and Economic Concerns
Much of the opposition to further regulations has come from the lobster and crab industries in New England states like Maine and Massachusetts. Those fishing industries say they already follow some of the most comprehensive conservation measures in the world and have made a case that adding more rules might drive them out of business.
"Mainers are not asking for much. We just need more time," Golden said. The pause on new rules is also intended to allow more time to gather data about how best to protect whales.
Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, emphasized that existing protections remain unchanged. "The current conservation framework remains fully in place, and this legislation does not weaken protections for the North Atlantic right whale," she said.
Conservation Groups Sound Alarm
Environmental groups warn that amid the delays and further studies, right whales keep dying from run-ins with commercial fishing gear. The whale population shrank by about 25% from 2010 to 2020. Although they rebounded slightly in recent years, their numbers remain well below 2010, when there were about 480. The whales can drown after getting tangled up in fishing gear or being struck by boats.
"They needed more protections in 2022 when Congress ignored a mountain of evidence and decided that insufficient efforts were enough," Gib Brogan, senior campaign director with conservation group Oceana, said. "Now, once again, lawmakers are trying to pass the buck."
Right whales were once common off the East Coast, but they were hunted to near extinction during the commercial whaling era. Aside from entanglement or ship strikes, scientists say the whales are also imperiled by the warming of the ocean due to human-caused climate change.
Why This Matters:
The debate pits economic survival against species preservation in a region where fishing isn't just business—it's heritage. New England's lobster and crab industries employ thousands and generate hundreds of millions in economic activity while operating under existing conservation frameworks they argue are already among the world's strictest. The moratorium extension reflects congressional recognition that regulatory overreach can destroy livelihoods without guaranteed conservation gains. Yet the stark population numbers—down from about 480 whales in 2010 to roughly 380 today—suggest current measures haven't stopped the decline. The question isn't whether right whales deserve protection, but whether Washington should impose potentially industry-killing regulations before conclusively proving they'll work better than existing rules. The 2035 timeline gives researchers nearly a decade to develop data-driven solutions that might save both whales and jobs.